Holst Vocal Works

Valuable collection of Holst’s vocal works in vivid vintage recordings

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Gustav Holst

Genre:

Vocal

Label: Eloquence

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 68

Mastering:

Stereo
DDD

Catalogue Number: 4802327

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
(12) Songs Gustav Holst, Composer
Benjamin Britten, Piano
Gustav Holst, Composer
Peter Pears, Tenor
Ave Maria Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(12) Welsh Folk Songs, Movement: The Dove Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(12) Welsh Folk Songs, Movement: My sweetheart's like Venus Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(12) Welsh Folk Songs, Movement: The lover's complaint Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(6) Choral Folk Songs, Movement: The Song of the Blacksmith Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
Pastoral Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
The Swallow leaves her nest Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
Of one that is so fair Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
Bring us in good ale Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(The) Hymn of Jesus Gustav Holst, Composer
Adrian Boult, Conductor
BBC Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Gustav Holst, Composer

Composer or Director: Gustav Holst

Genre:

Vocal

Label: Eloquence

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 69

Mastering:

Stereo

Catalogue Number: 4802329

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Rig Veda - Group 3, Movement: Hymn to the Dawn Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Osian Ellis, Harp
Purcell Singers
Rig Veda - Group 3, Movement: Hymn to the Waters Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Osian Ellis, Harp
Purcell Singers
Rig Veda - Group 3, Movement: Hymn to Vena Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Osian Ellis, Harp
Purcell Singers
Rig Veda - Group 3, Movement: Hymn of the Travellers Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Osian Ellis, Harp
Purcell Singers
Sávitri Gustav Holst, Composer
English Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Janet Baker, Mezzo soprano
Purcell Singers
Robert Tear, Tenor
Thomas Hemsley, Baritone
(7) Partsongs, Movement: Say who is this? Gustav Holst, Composer
English Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(7) Partsongs, Movement: O Love, I complain Gustav Holst, Composer
English Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(7) Partsongs, Movement: Angel spirits of sleep Gustav Holst, Composer
English Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(7) Partsongs, Movement: When first we met Gustav Holst, Composer
English Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(7) Partsongs, Movement: Sorrow and joy Gustav Holst, Composer
English Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(7) Partsongs, Movement: Love on my heart Gustav Holst, Composer
English Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(7) Partsongs, Movement: Assemble, all ye maidens Gustav Holst, Composer
English Chamber Orchestra
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
(The) Evening watch Gustav Holst, Composer
Gustav Holst, Composer
Imogen Holst, Conductor
Purcell Singers
These two discs neatly bring together virtually all the most important works of Gustav Holst after the ever-popular Planets. Both are especially welcome for featuring the conducting of Holst’s daughter, Imogen, one of the most inspirational musicians I have ever known, beloved by everyone who met her and for years an invaluable amanuensis to Benjamin Britten when his health was failing.

Holst was long fascinated by Hindu literature, and the first disc opens with four haunting Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, the second of which is a dance with tinkling harp accompaniment (Osian Ellis the superb soloist). Holst suggested that the fourth, “Hymn of the Travellers”, could be used as an overture to the main work on the disc, the chamber opera Sa¯vitri, which itself is simply a dialogue between the heroine Sa¯vitri and the figure of Death, who comes to claim her husband, Satyavan. In the dialogue, with Janet Baker at her most touchingly expressive down to whispered half-tones, Sa¯vitri wins her argument against Death (Thomas Hemsley singing offstage alongside the Purcell Singers); Robert Tear is also ideally cast as Satyavan. The seven part-songs that round off the disc date from 1925‑26, the first period when Holst could devote himself full-time to composition, a luxury he greatly enjoyed.

On the second disc, the 12 songs to words by the long-neglected poet Humbert Wolfe date from 1929-30; they are charming miniatures ideally suited to the unique partnership of Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten. The wonder is that with Holst setting each syllable to a separate note, they sound remarkably like Britten’s Hardy settings in the cycle Winter Words, with the final song, “Betelgeuse”, the most powerful. This is a valuable set not otherwise available complete on CD.

The part-songs that follow – a varied selection including an early “Ave Maria” for women’s voices in eight parts, revealing that Holst, having been a choir-trainer, could handle voices masterfully – again feature the Purcell Singers under Imogen Holst. The Three Welsh Folk Songs for mixed voices come from a set of 12, and they lead to the striking “Song of the Blacksmith”, with the onomatopoeic refrain “kang ki-ki kang”. The selection ends with a carol featuring the medieval words “Bring us in good ale”.

Most valuable of all is the work many regard as Holst’s masterpiece – The Hymn of Jesus, vividly caught in this 1962 recording. Dating from 1920, it has echoes of The Planets in the hypnotic pivoting ostinatos for chorus and the offstage sequences of parallel chords highly evocative in the layering of textures. Boult, who made a speciality of conducting this work, is the masterly conductor with BBC forces. One hopes for more equally illuminating issues from Decca Eloquence.

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